By COGwriter
Thailand is a country is in Southeast Asia on the Indochinese Peninsula.
Thailand is officially called the Kingdom of Thailand and historically it has been known as Siam, which was its the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia Thailand has a population of almost 66 million, and it spans 513,115 square kilometres (198,115 sq mi).
Wikipedia states:
Thai peoples migrated from southwestern China to mainland Southeast Asia from the 6th to 11th centuries. Indianised kingdoms such as the Mon, Khmer Empire, and Malay states ruled the region, competing with Thai states such as the Kingdoms of Ngoenyang, Sukhothai, Lan Na, and Ayutthaya, which also rivalled each other. European contact began in 1511 with a Portuguese diplomatic mission to Ayutthaya, which became a regional power by the end of the 15th century. ...
Throughout the era of Western imperialism in Asia, Siam remained the only state in the region to avoid colonisation by foreign powers, although it was often forced to make territorial, trade, and legal concessions in unequal treaties. The Siamese system of government was centralised and transformed into a modern unitary absolute monarchy during the 1868–1910 reign of Chulalongkorn (Rama V). In World War I, Siam sided with the Allies, a political decision made in order to amend the unequal treaties. Following a bloodless revolution in 1932, it became a constitutional monarchy and changed its official name to Thailand, becoming an ally of Japan in World War II. In the late 1950s, a military coup under Sarit Thanarat revived the monarchy's historically influential role in politics. ...
According to George Cœdès, the word Thai (ไทย) means 'free man' in the Thai language, "differentiating the Thai from the natives encompassed in Thai society as serfs". According to Chit Phumisak, Thai (ไท) simply means 'people' or 'human being'; his investigation shows that some rural areas used the word "Thai" instead of the usual Thai word khon (คน) for people. ...
The country's most prevalent religion is Theravada Buddhism, which is an integral part of Thai identity and culture. Active participation in Buddhism is among the highest in the world. Thailand has the second-largest number of Buddhists in the world after China. According to the 2018 National Statistical Office data, 93.46% of the country's population self-identified as Buddhists. Samanera of Theravada Buddhism, the most practised religion in Thailand Muslims constitute the second largest religious group in Thailand, comprising 5.37% of the population in 2018.
(Thailand. Wikipedia, accessed 01/16/25)
Does it have any biblical connection?
Was it had any real Christian witness?
Are there prophecies that will impact the Thai people?
Can the bulk of the Thai people ever be saved?
This article will address these issues. Any comments within {} have been added by me for clarification.
Shared Heritage
The Bible teaches that all peoples descended from Adam and Eve:
20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living (Genesis 3:20, NKJV throughout unless otherwise noted).
This would include those now considered to be Thai as well as all other groups and races of humans.
Furthermore, all humans are descendants of Noah as he and his family were the only humans to survive the great flood:
7 So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood...
13 On the very same day Noah and Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark...
23... Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive...
9:18 Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan. 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated (Genesis 7:7,13,23;9:18-19).
The old Worldwide Church of God taught:
Japheth ... had an Oriental wife. Remember, the three primary races in the pre-Flood world passed through the Flood as a result of Japheth's and Ham's intermarriages. ... Japheth was the patriarchal ancestor of all Orientals (The Bible Answers Short Questions From Our Readers. Plain Truth, December 1967)
More specifically the old WCG taught that the Thai peoples descended from Japheth's son Gomer, with some later Scythian/Sakai intermarriage (Countries and Their Biblical Names. Presented by - The Worldwide Church of God, 20th century). Here is some biblical information related to Gomer and his decendants:
1 Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood.
2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 5 From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations. (Genesis 10:1-5)
Well, the Thais are Gentiles and coastland peoples who formed into their own nation.
Some believe that they descended from Gomer's son Ashkenaz:
Tchin is the Ashchenaz of Scripture, son of Gomer ... Another division of Aschenaz ... migrated across the Imaus mountains {Central Asia} ... These people spread to a vast extent until they reached the Pacific Ocean. ... They formed the following nations ...
The Tcianese, inhabiting Siam.
(Painter JT. Ethnology: Or, The History & Genealogy of the Human Race. J. Davis, 1879, pp. 106, 107)
The term Tcianese is not particularly recognized but seems to be related to something meaning Thai-Chinese. Some believe that the peoples once known as the Tchin, which included various areas that were once part of the ancient Chinese Empire, derived from Atchinez (Painter, p. 107).
Citing the ancient historians Strabo and Herodotus, Craig White concurred that the people in Thailand had some partial derivative of Scythians/Sakai. He added from other sources that they were mainly derivative of Ashkenaz of Gomer (White C. In Search of ... The Origin of Nations. History Research Projects. 2003, pp. 194-197).
The Ram Khamhaeng Inscription is a stone inscription discovered in 1833 in Sukhothai, Thailand. It is dated to 1292 CE, during the reign of King Ram Khamhaeng of the Sukhothai Kingdom and is considered a very important source of historical information for Thailand. It mentions that the Tai people came from a place called "Krung Thep", which is believed to be a reference to the ancient city of Ayutthaya. However, some historians interpret "Krung Thep" as a reference to a place in the west, possibly in India or the Middle East--but that is quite speculative.
Possible Clues in as To Original Christian Influence
It is believed that Christianity came to the far east in the first century.
Jesus named twelve men to be apostles and commissioned them to take the gospel to the world (Matthew 28:19-20). One of those was Thomas who was called "the twin" (John 20:24).
Some writers even asserted that, in addition to India, “the doubting Thomas” had also preached in China and the land of the Grand Khan. Since his life and martyrdom are well known, I will refer only to some bibliographical data (Apocryphal Gospels, pp. 388-428; Marco Polo, Travels, Yule-Cordier, ed. (London, 1903), II, 353-359; Sir John Mandeville, Travels, Malcolm Letts, ed. (London, 1953), I, 123-124; Sir Henry Yule, Cathay and the Way Thither, 4 vols. (London, 1913-1916), II, 141-142, III, 249-254; Vsevolod Slessarev, Prester John, the Letter and the Legend (Minneapolis, 1959), pp. 14-20). https://read.dukeupress.edu/hahr/article/57/1/82/150188/Saint-Thomas-Apostle-of-America
So, it may be that there was some witness into Thailand in the first century.
The mainstream tends to believe that Christianity did not arrive in Thailand until the 16th century. But what happened then was NOT original Christianity, nor was it widely adopted.
Any Later Witness?
Last century, Herbert W. Armstrong made several trips to Thailand in the 1970s/1980s.
The old WCG had members of the Karen tribes and others in Thailand.
Herbert W. Armstrong, himself, met the King and Queen of Thailand and other dignotaries there, plus also spoke.
Here is some of what he said in one of his visits there:
Now, we're living in a world that is in trouble. Very serious trouble right now. It is a strange paradox. We live in a world of awesome accomplishment, awesome progress, especially in this 20th century, and the advancement of science of modern technologies, the computer, jet aircraft flying to the moon and back, the many things that have been produced are absolutely awesome. But also, we are living in a world of appalling evils and troubles. Violence is increasing all over the world. Morality has gone down into the gutter. Immorality is ripping the people all over the world, and this world is in trouble. Most nations in the world are facing a very weak and troubled economy just now.
The oldest recorded history, recording the history of mankind, is also a book that is more widely distributed and is possessed by more people than any other book on Earth. That is a book called the Holy Bible. The Christian religion is supposed to have received its belief from that book. But I find that that is not true. It records that civilization was built on the philosophy of "get," of self-centeredness, of selfishness, and not on the philosophy of giving, of sharing, of helping, of cooperating. The way to peace is the way of giving, of sharing, of cooperating, of helping one another, of being concerned about your fellow man. But the people in this world have been concerned primarily each one for his own self.
There has to be a cause for trouble. This world is in trouble, and the cause is the way we live. One reason that we have been glad to help in this country and to help your king is that your king has been trying to serve and not to get, trying to help and to cooperate. And we want to help their majesties in that sort of thing because that is what we are dedicated to doing.
Right now this world is very near its final climax. It is coming to a climax. It's a world that is in very deep trouble. The editor of a magazine that has a great circulation among businessmen and politicians and leaders in the United States said some little time ago that the condition in the world now seems to be so desperate and so evil that the only hope of civilization is the sudden intervention of a strong hand from some place. I am here representing that strong hand. My name is Armstrong, but I am not that strong hand. I merely represent him.
I recently returned from a visit with leaders in Europe, both Eastern and Western Europe. And over there, they are now feverishly working to reunite Europe. It was united temporarily in the Middle Ages. They want to unite Europe again, and they are working feverishly to that end. It is not receiving much notice in the public media. The people are not hearing much about it, but I talked to the leaders, and I think that it is going to perhaps be completed in anywhere from 1 to 2, 3, or 5 years. One of the leaders of Europe, that is a leader in that movement, is coming to visit me in July. And I am very close to another leader in Europe. And this thing is coming in the book that I told you of that gives the history of mankind from the very beginning, farther back than any other history we have.
We read prophecies foretelling the future and for telling that we now are living in a crisis, right at the close of this world civilization. This world has gotten into the place where it cannot solve its own problems and troubles. It is not able to solve its present economic troubles. It is not able to solve its moral troubles. It's spiritual troubles. That strong hand from some place is soon to come. However, the prophecies of this book that I told you of, the Holy Bible, say that Europe is going to unite. I have talked to leaders in Europe and they are working feverishly now to unite the nations of Europe. Even though they speak different languages, the only thing that unites them is the Catholic religion and it is moving rapidly. The Western Roman Catholic religion at Rome and the Eastern Catholic from Athens are getting together. The prophecy said that when that is accomplished, very soon thereafter, will come the final climax. And the eternal creator God, that strong hand from some place, will send His Son, the Messiah, who will come as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and rule all nations on the face of this earth. And will bring us peace and will teach us to love one another, will teach us to cooperate, to try to help one another, to share, to give instead of to be selfish and see how much we can get from everybody. I am glad that your religion here teaches that philosophy of giving. And so, we should do all we can do to bring peace, but we ourselves are not going to bring peace. The great power that created the universe is going to have to do it to us. We will not be able to do it of and by ourselves. But I am here to announce that it is coming and we are going to have world peace. And I'm glad that we've been able to contribute a little bit of that here. And I thank you so much, clear from the bottom of my heart, for your consideration and the honor that you have given me this week since I have been here. Thank you very much.
What was the gospel of Jesus Christ? You know, the word gospel means good news. It's news. Do you know? I wonder how many realize I've said it a number of times. I know on this program that Jesus Christ came as a newscaster, he was giving news, but it wasn't news that had already happened. That would be olds, not news. His was news of the future. In other words, it was an announcement of news yet to come. His king, His gospel was the gospel of the Kingdom of God, the gospel of the Kingdom of God. And in the New Testament, a double curse is pronounced upon a man or an angel who would preach any other gospel. And yet that gospel was not preached to the world for 1900 years, but it is being preached on this program now.
The Kingdom of God, what is the Kingdom of God? A kingdom is a government, a government over a nation. And in this case, it is the government to be administered by God over all of the nations on the face of the earth, administered by God through Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ is going to administer it with and through those of His church that will then be changed from mortal to immortal. As He said, if we overcome, we will be granted to sit with Him on His throne. When He rules over all the nations of the earth, that's the United States, that's Canada, that's all the nations of Europe, that's Japan and China and Russia, the whole world under one government. It'll be a new world, an entire new civilization that should have begun with the first Adam but has already begun in any sense within this evil world. Through Jesus Christ and through the church.
What is going to happen in that world to come? What is the World Tomorrow? This program has been called the World Tomorrow for many, many years. Many people yet don't know what it is. It's a different world altogether. (Thailand Special, SP-52, Telecast date: March 16, 1983)
Additionally, Church of God Feast of Tabernacles sites have often taken place in Thailand, though many attending have been visitors.
In 1982:
In what was described as a "warm and friendly meeting," the 18th Supreme Patriarch of the Buddhist religion of Thailand, Ariawongsagatayana, 87, called on Pastor General Herbert W. Armstrong Oct. 14 "as a spiritual leader of the Worldwide Church of God and founder of Ambassador College," reported Herman L. Hoch. evangelist and Plain Truth editor. The meeting, the first between the supreme patriarch and the pastor general, took place in Mr. Armstrong's executive office on the fourth floor of the campus Hall of Administration. ... Following the discussion th e supreme patriarch presented Mr. Armstrong with three of his books written in the Thai language and a bronze medal in appreciation of the college's involvement in the Thai refugee project. Mr. Armstrong thanked the supreme patriarch and presented him with a copy of his autobiography and his book, The Incredible Human Potential (Herbert W. Armstrong meets sup rem e patriarch of Thailand. Worldwide News. November 1, 1982)
Former WCG minister Leon Sexton and his wife, who used to accompany Herbert Armstrong when he visited to Thailand, also moved there and started a group called Legacy that teaches people in Thailand in the 21st century (see Legacy: Teachings and Practices of Legacy Institute).
According to AWStats the Continuing Church of God reached Thailand over the internet in the 21st century. Plus, according to YouTube, people in Thailand have viewed some of our sermons and sermonettes.
Additionally, the CCOG is on two short-wave radio stations whose signals should sometimes be heard in Thailand (see also Continuing Church of God Multimedia page).
The Continuing Church of God has literature in the following Thai languages and dialects:
Isan Isan
Red Karen Karenni
Lanna ᨣᩴᩤᨾᩮᩬᩥᨦ
Malay Bahasa Melayu
Thai ภาษาไทย
Thai (Northern) ᨣᩴᩤᨾᩮᩬᩥᨦ
Thai-Latin (Northern) Northern Thai-Latin
People also speak Lao and Chinese in Thailand. We have those languages available as well:
In 2025, representatives of the Continuing Church of God also visited Thailand.
Jesus said:
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)
Our The Gospel of the Kingdom of God has been translated into practically all of the numerous languages spoken in Thailand.
So, we know that God will insure that Thailand will end up with a witness.
Buddhism
Buddhism is the major religion in Thailand.
Herbert W. Armstrong wrote about his calling and asked if a Thai could ever come to the truth:
Very shortly after my original marriage in 1917, an angel appeared to my wife in a dream. He descended from the sky, put his arms around both of us, said God was calling me soon to the most important commission. At the time I was embarrassed, suggested she tell it to the preacher at the church on the corner of the block (Chicago, Ill.) and erased it from my mind. Nine years later, about September, 1927, God did call me in a manner most disturbing. You read many times of the dual challenges — from my wife taking up with religious "fanaticism" — Sabbath keeping — and a sister-in-law challenging me on the doctrine of evolution. ...
I think that most of us tend to lose sight of what God has done in raising up this Philadelphia era of the true Church of God.
In my ... book, A Voice Cries Out, I state that, of all the world's many religions and the more than 250 Protestant denominations, NOT ONE, except the original small persecuted Church of God, knows WHO and WHAT God is: NOT ONE knows WHAT and WHY man is; NOT ONE knows the true Gospel message God sent to mankind by Jesus Christ, etc., etc.
I ask, in this book, HOW would a Buddhist in Thailand ever come to the TRUTH? He has known nothing since birth but Buddhism. ...
More to the point, HOW DID YOU come into this precious knowledge? GOD PERFORMED A MIRACLE — that's how! (Armstrong HW. Watering Down - Or Building Solidly Up? Worldwide News, June 11, 1979)
It is interesting that the article's title begins with 'Watering Down.' Most end time Christians, even most who were once part of the old Worldwide Church of God, have watered down the idea that God used a dream to raiseup the Philadelphia era and that God still does miracles. As far as having that happen in the Continuing CChurch of God, check out the article: Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18?
That said, what about Buddhism?
I personally had to study a bit about Buddhism in a religious studies course I took in college. Furthermore, when my wife Joyce and I went to Sri Lanka for the Feast of Tabernacles in 1984, we encountered a lot of Buddhists as Sri Lanka is about 70% Buddhist. We saw various Buddha statues, Buddhist shrines, and dagobas--which are other Buddhist temples that contain some type of relic. The practice of housing relics is also very popular in the Roman Catholic Church.
Anyway, Thailand is considered to be over 93% Buddhist. Here is some information about Buddhism according to Wikipedia:
Buddhism (/ˈbʊdɪzəm/ BUUD-ih-zəm, US also /ˈbuːd-/ BOOD-), also known as Buddha Dharma, is an Indian religion and philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or 5th century BCE. It is the world's fourth-largest religion, with over 520 million followers, known as Buddhists, who comprise seven percent of the global population. ...
According to tradition, the Buddha instructed his followers in a path of development which leads to awakening and full liberation from dukkha (lit. 'suffering or unease'[note 1]). He regarded this path as a Middle Way between extremes such as asceticism or sensual indulgence. Teaching that dukkha arises alongside attachment or clinging, the Buddha advised meditation practices and ethical precepts rooted in non-harming. (Buddhism, Wikipedia, accessed 01/20/25)
Well, Buddhists do engage in war and other harming behaviors. Furthermore, Science Alert reported the following related to its meditation:
Meditation And Mindfulness Have a Dark Side We Don’t Talk About
Mindfulness is a type of Buddhist-based meditation in which you focus on being aware of what you’re sensing, thinking, and feeling in the present moment.
The first recorded evidence for this, found in India, is over 1,500 years old. The Dharmatrāta Meditation Scripture, written by a community of Buddhists, describes various practices and includes reports of symptoms of depression and anxiety that can occur after meditation.
It also details cognitive anomalies associated with episodes of psychosis, dissociation, and depersonalisation (when people feel the world is “unreal”).
In the past eight years there has been a surge of scientific research in this area. These studies show that adverse effects are not rare.
A 2022 study, using a sample of 953 people in the US who meditated regularly, showed that over 10 percent of participants experienced adverse effects which had a significant negative impact on their everyday life and lasted for at least one month.According to a review of over 40 years of research that was published in 2020, the most common adverse effects are anxiety and depression. These are followed by psychotic or delusional symptoms, dissociation or depersonalisation, and fear or terror. …
The most common account I hear from people who have suffered adverse meditation effects is that the teachers don’t believe them. They’re usually told to just keep meditating and it will go away. 10/25/24 https://www.sciencealert.com/meditation-and-mindfulness-have-a-dark-side-we-dont-talk-about
So, there is measurable harm some have found from following Buddhist meditation practices. We have a free booklet on proper biblical meditation: Meditation for Faithful Christians.
Getting back to Buddhism:
Widely observed teachings include the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, and the doctrines of dependent origination, karma, and the three marks of existence. (Buddhism, Wikipedia, accessed 01/20/25)
The Four arya satya") are "the truths of the noble one (the Buddha),"[a][b] a statement of how things really are when they are seen correctly.
The four truths are
The four truths appear in many grammatical forms in the ancient Buddhist texts, and are traditionally identified as the first teaching given by the Buddha.(Four Noble Truths, Wikipedia, accessed 01/20/25)
Buddhism teaches that suffering (dukkha) arises from desire (tanha), which can be understood as attachment, craving, or clinging to things, experiences, or even ideas. According to the Four Noble Truths, the first of which is that life involves suffering, the second is that this suffering is caused by desire, the third is that it can be eliminated, and the fourth outlines the path to ending suffering, which is the Eightfold Path.
The idea is that by letting go of excessive desires and attachments, one can free themselves from the cycle of suffering. (ChatGpt, 01/21/25)
Basically, Buddha taught that all problems come from desite and that if you eliminate desire you eliminate all problems.
Well, since people must desire to eat and drink, among other things, to live, Buddhism simply does not solve all problems.
Now, technically, Buddhism does not have a god. However, by the way they venerate Buddha and statues of him, Buddhists act in ways that appear similar to religions like Hinduism--though Hinduism has multiple deities.
There are two major branches of Buddhism:
Two major extant branches of Buddhism are generally recognized by scholars: Theravāda (lit. 'School of the Elders') and Mahāyāna (lit. 'Great Vehicle'). The Theravada tradition emphasizes the attainment of nirvāṇa (lit. 'extinguishing') as a means of transcending the individual self and ending the cycle of death and rebirth (saṃsāra), while the Mahayana tradition emphasizes the Bodhisattva ideal, in which one works for the liberation of all sentient beings. Additionally, Vajrayāna (lit. 'Indestructible Vehicle'), a body of teachings incorporating esoteric tantric techniques, may be viewed as a separate branch or tradition within Mahāyāna.[26] The Theravāda branch has a widespread following in Sri Lanka as well as in Southeast Asia, namely Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. (Buddhism, Wikipedia, accessed 01/20/25)
The goal of attaining Nirvana in Buddhism is similar to the goal of Hinduism. Hindus hope by purifying themselves, they break the reincarnation cycle, and enter moksha, which Buddhist and some Hindus also call nirvana.
Buddha, himself, was originally a Hindu, and that may account for certain similarities of those two faiths.
Buddhists often accept some of the moral teachings of the Bible as appropriate.
However, the idea that God sent His son to die for sins of humans who repent and accept Him as Savior is not something that those faiths teach.
But God does have a plan for the Buddhists and others in Thailand and around the world.
Chinese New Year
The Chinese New Year for 2025 it begins on 29 January.
It is widely celebrated in Thailand:
Because of its large Chinese population, it comes as no surprise that the Chinese New Year is a major festival in Thailand. ...
Celebrations for the Chinese New Year are spread across two to three days. It isn't a national holiday, but with a Chinese population of over 7 million in the country, it is widely celebrated in Thailand. Families spend these days together and pay respect to their ancestors. During this time, thousands of people fly down from China and other parts of Southeast Asia to be with their families for the festival.
Temples and shrines get crowded with people coming to pray for a successful year ahead. It is customary for family members to hand each other red envelopes (called ang-pao in Hokkien and lai see in Cantonese) with money and trinkets inside. Shortly after noon, the streets are flooded with food stalls, dragon dancers, and even acrobats who enthrall onlookers with their performances. They make huge human pyramids and spin on poles that are nearly 40 feet tall.
The Chinese New Year is associated with the color red. People wear red clothes and decorate their houses with red paper lanterns, posters, and Chinese calligraphy banners in the days leading up to the festival. They put out trays of tangerines, oranges, and many varieties of dried fruit. Legend has it that a mythical beast called Nien would ravage people's homes on the night of New Year's, so people put out offerings for him and burst firecrackers, hoping to scare him. ...On the final day of New Year celebrations, there is a Lantern Festival where people hang beautifully crafted Chinese paper lanterns from their homes. From a distance, streets upon streets light up in red, making this a very pretty holiday. This Lantern Festival typically takes place on the first full moon of the Chinese New Year. https://www.holidify.com/pages/chinese-new-year-1068.html accessed 01/21/25
Here are some comments from Wikipedia about the Chinese New Year and its practices:
Chinese New Year is an important traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the first day of the year of the Chinese calendar. In China, it is also known as the Spring Festival, the literal translation of the modern Chinese name. Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally run from Chinese New Year’s Eve, the last day of the last month of the Chinese calendar, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month, making the festival the longest in the Chinese calendar. Because the Chinese calendar is lunisolar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the “Lunar New Year“.
The source of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Traditionally, the festival was a time to honor deities as well as ancestors…
According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian (Chinese: 年; pinyin: Nián). Nian would come on the first day of New Year to eat livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. One day people saw that the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the color red. Time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, Nian never came to the village again. The Nian was eventually captured by Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk. The Nian became Hongjun Laozu’s mount…
The first day is for the welcoming of the deities of the heavens and earth, officially beginning at midnight. It is a traditional practice to light fireworks, burn bamboo sticks and firecrackers and to make as much of a din as possible to chase off the evil spirits as encapsulated by nian (年) of which the term guo-nian (过年) was derived…
The second day of the Chinese New Year, known as kāinián (開年/开年, “beginning of the year”),[17] was when married daughters visited their birth parents, relatives and close friends…
The third day is known as Chìkǒu (赤口), directly translated as “red mouth”. Chìkǒu is also called Chìgǒurì (赤狗日), or “Chìgǒu’s Day”. Chìgǒu, literally “red dog”, is an epithet of “the God of Blazing Wrath” (熛怒之神). Rural villagers continue the tradition of burning paper offerings over trash fires. It is considered an unlucky day to have guests or go visiting…
In those communities that celebrate Chinese New Year for only two or three days, the fourth day is when corporate “spring dinners” kick off and business returns to normal…
This day is the God of Wealth’s birthday…
The seventh day, traditionally known as Rénrì (人日, the common person’s birthday), is the day when everyone grows one year older…
Eight Day Another family dinner is held to celebrate the eve of the birth of the Jade Emperor, the ruler of heaven. People normally return to work by the eighth day.the Store owners will host a lunch/dinner with their employees, thanking their employees for the work they have done for the whole year.
Approaching 12 midnight on this day, Hokkien people prepare for a Jade Emperor ritual (Bai Ti Gong or 拜天公) during which incense is burnt and food offerings made to the Jade Emperor and also to Zao Jun, the Kitchen God who reports on each family to the Jade Emperor.
Some people will hold a ritual prayer at after midnight on the eighth day. In Malaysia, especially, people light fireworks, often more than on the first day…
The ninth day of the New Year is a day for Chinese to offer prayers to the Jade Emperor of Heaven (天公, Tiāngōng) in the Daoist Pantheon.
Tenth Day The Jade Emperor’s party is also celebrated on this day…
On the 13th day people will eat pure vegetarian food to clean out their stomach due to consuming too much food over the preceding two weeks…
The fifteenth day of the new year is celebrated as Yuanxiao Festival/Yuánxiāojié (元宵節), also known as Shangyuan Festival/Shàngyuánjié (上元節) or the Lantern Festival (otherwise known as Chap Goh Mei Chinese: 十五暝; pinyin: Shíwǔmíng; literally “the fifteen night” in Fujian dialect)…In Malaysia and Singapore, this day is celebrated by individuals seeking for a love partner, a different version of Valentine’s Day.
So, there is a lot of paganism associated with it.
The 2025 year is considered to be the year of the snake. Here is something about it:
The snake (蛇) is the sixth of the twelve-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Snake is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 巳.[1]
According to one legend, there is a reason for the order of the animals in the cycle. A race was held to cross a great river, and the order of the animals in the cycle was based upon their order in finishing the race. In this story, the snake compensated for not being the best swimmer by hitching a hidden ride on the Horse’s hoof. When the horse was about to cross the finish line, the snake jumped out, scaring the horse, and thus edging it out for sixth place.
The same twelve animals are also used to symbolize the cycle of hours in the day, each being associated with a two-hour time period. The hour of the snake is 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., the time when the Sun warms up the Earth, and snakes are said to slither out of their holes. The month of the snake is the 4th month of the Chinese lunar calendar and it usually falls within the months of May through June depending on the Chinese to Gregorian calendar conversion. The reason the animal signs are referred to as zodiacal is that one’s personality is said to be influenced by the animal signs ruling the time of birth, together with elemental aspects of the animal signs within the sexagenary cycle. Similarly, the year governed by a particular animal sign is supposed to be characterized by it, with the effects particularly strong for people who were born in any year governed by the same animal sign.
In Chinese symbology, snakes are regarded as intelligent, with a tendency to lack scruples. (Snake (zodiac), Wikipedia, accessed 12/22/24)
The Chinese New Year, itself, is based upon a lunar-solar calendar cycle. Like the biblical one, it is supposed to be somewhat related to Spring, though the Chinese one tends to begin earlier. Like many pagan cultures, birthdays are a part of the celebrations--but birthdays are not something that early Christians would celebrate (see Did Early Christians Celebrate Birthdays?).
The Chinese New Year is basically considered to be an observance originally established to worship pagan gods and also has astrological implications (it also can involve ancestor worship). Unlike Western astrology which is supposedly based upon the astrological sign in the sky when one is born (which varies about monthly), Chinese astrology is based on being born in a particular astrological year. The Chinese have 12 astrological signs that rotate in a cycle.
The year that is ending was the year of the dragon. People who are to be born between 29 January and next year are considered to ‘astrologically’ be born under the sign of the Chinese year of the snake.
The previous one was the year of the dragon:
People born during the year of the Dragon are said to be naturally charismatic and gifted, often inspiring those around them … https://people.com/lunar-new-year-2024-everything-to-know-about-the-year-of-the-dragon-8563527
Satan would be seemingly be pleased with that as he considers himself talented, gifted, and motivational--he deceives and motivates deception. And he probably also likes the snake-year for its intelligence and willingness to lack scruples for its goals.
The fact that Satan is called a serpent has tended to have me connect him with the Chinese snake (as well as all paganism). Here area couple of scriptures related to the biblical dragon snake, Satan:
9 … the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:9)
2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. (Revelation 20:2-3)
Satan was also called the serpent in Genesis and was cursed:
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent:
“Because you have done this,
You are cursed more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you shall go,
And you shall eat dust
All the days of your life. (Genesis 3:14)
The fact that the serpent was cursed to go on its belly might suggest that the serpent originally looked more like a dragon, but God removed the serpent’s legs. If so, that is another tie between Satan being a dragon.
Anyway, this is a popular festival in Thailand.
The Bible itself has a different start of the New Year. When speaking of the Hebrew month of Abib, which occurs around late March/early April God declared:
“This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you” (Exodus 12:2).
And that was not January 1st nor is it the 29th in 2025.
That said, Thailand also has a different festival for a Buddhist new year that usually starts in April--which is closer to the biblical date than the Chinese New Year.
That Buddhist festival is called Songkran.
Songkran is a Thai word, derived from Sanskrit संक्रान्ति saṅkrānti meaning 'to move', 'movement',: 'the passing of' or 'astrological passage'. It derives from the movement of the sun from one position to another in the zodiac. According to its literal meaning in Sanskrit, a Songkran occurs every month. However, the period that Thai people refer to as Songkran happens when the sun moves from Pisces to Aries in the zodiac. The correct name for this period should actually be Maha Songkran ('great Songkran) because it coincides with the arrival of a New Year. (Songkran. Wikipedia, accessed 01/21/25
Since the Bible is opposed to astrology (cf. Isaiah 47:13-15), scirpture would not condone being part of astrological celebrations.
But astrological new year's festivals are widely celebrated in Thailand.
Thailand in Prophecy
Before getting to matters of salvation, what is ahead for Thailand and others in the Far East?
Jesus warned about a future time of a great tribulation:
21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened (Matthew 24:21-22).
Since this great tribulation affects the whole world, it will affect the Asians in Thailand as well, though its initial focus will impact the Israelite-descended nations.
Despite tribulation, those in Asia look to prosper, for a time, from the coming Babylonian power led by the European King of the North (cf. Revelation 18).
Yet, the Bible teaches that “news from the east and the north shall trouble” (Daniel 11:44) the European King of the North. This will be from a confederation led by Russia, and will include others, including peoples from Central and East Asia.
Various peoples in Asia are prophesied to be involved with the Northern power (king of the Medes below):
27 Set up a banner in the land, Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations against her, Call the kingdoms together against her: Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a general against her; Cause the horses to come up like the bristling locusts. 28 Prepare against her the nations, With the kings of the Medes, Its governors and all its rulers, All the land of his dominion. 29 And the land will tremble and sorrow; For every purpose of the Lord shall be performed against Babylon, To make the land of Babylon a desolation without inhabitant. (Jeremiah 51:27-29)
The above looks to include the Thais.
Here is some information from our free online book Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America?:
In the last verse of Revelation 8 (verse 13) the word woe is repeated three times and is later connected to three angels and three trumpet blasts which correspond to the blowing of the 5th, 6th, and 7th trumpets.
The first woe (5th trumpet) is described in Revelation 9:1-11. It involves a demonically-led force which causes torment (perhaps involving a plague of germ or chemical warfare) for those not having the seal of God (Revelation 9:4)—thus those of the 144,000 who were sealed in Revelation 7:4 are not tormented by this.
This woe looks to involve at least some of the European King of the North’s military and is consistent with something from Daniel:
44 But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. (Daniel 11:44)
Looking at this verse, what could be north and east of the European Beast power?
Russia, for one, which is both in Europe and Asia. Daniel suggests that it, and some of its allies, will face some of the fury of the King of the North as part of the first woe.
Despite some erroneous claims, Russia, itself, is NOT the prophesied “King of the North,” but it is prophetically pointed to as the power of “the far north” (cf. Ezekiel 38:6, 39:1-2).
Going on from the first woe comes the second woe:
12 One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.
13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed — by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.
20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. (Revelation 9:12-21)
Such a massively large army was not possible to be put together when Jesus had John pen the Book of Revelation in the 1st century. In the 21st century, however, it is possible, and that army would be expected to include Chinese, Indian, Russian, and other Asian peoples.
The European Beast empire will not last, but will fear what is coming.
Notice also the following from the Hebrew scriptures:
2 … A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them, Even for many successive generations.
3 A fire devours before them, And behind them a flame burns; The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, And behind them a desolate wilderness; Surely nothing shall escape them. 4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like swift steeds, so they run. 5 With a noise like chariots Over mountaintops they leap, Like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble, Like a strong people set in battle array.
6 Before them the people writhe in pain; All faces are drained of color. (Joel 2:2-6)
During the second woe, the 200,000,000 man army looks to tie in with Joel 2:2 which discusses some of that army’s expected actions.
Before going further, understand that current projects like China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Europe’s Global Gateway are looking to connect Asia, Europe, and the Middle East in ways that look to be building infrastructure that a 200 million man army would use in order to get to Europe and the Middle East. ...
The following passages seem also to apply:
8 “Move from the midst of Babylon, Go out of the land of the Chaldeans; And be like the rams before the flocks. 9 For behold, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon An assembly of great nations from the north country, And they shall array themselves against her; From there she shall be captured. Their arrows shall be like those of an expert warrior; None shall return in vain. (Jeremiah 50:8-9)
Those who believe the Bible should leave the midst of end-time Babylon by then. Certainly, the above “north country” includes Russia, but other passages clearly point to others from Asia being involved (Jeremiah 51:27-29).
Notice some of what will happen to the coming European Babylonian Beast power led by a power from the farthest parts of the earth (Russia is the nation that is the farthest east and close to being the farthest north nation):
22 Thus says the Lord: “Behold, a people comes from the north country, And a great nation will be raised from the farthest parts of the earth.
23 They will lay hold on bow and spear; They are cruel and have no mercy; Their voice roars like the sea; And they ride on horses, As men of war set in array against you, O daughter of Zion.”
24 We have heard the report of it; Our hands grow feeble. Anguish has taken hold of us, Pain as of a woman in labor. 25 Do not go out into the field, Nor walk by the way. Because of the sword of the enemy, Fear is on every side. 26 O daughter of my people, Dress in sackcloth And roll about in ashes!Make mourning as for an only son, most bitter lamentation; For the plunderer will suddenly come upon us. (Jeremiah 6:22-26)
41 “Behold, a people shall come from the north, And a great nation and many kings Shall be raised up from the ends of the earth. 42 They shall hold the bow and the lance; They are cruel and shall not show mercy. Their voice shall roar like the sea; They shall ride on horses, Set in array, like a man for the battle, Against you, O daughter of Babylon.
43 “The king of Babylon has heard the report about them, And his hands grow feeble; Anguish has taken hold of him, Pangs as of a woman in childbirth. (Jeremiah 50:41-43)
The “great nation” from the “farthest parts of the earth” includes Russia. There are also nations that will be confederate with it. Those would also include China and other nations in Asia, and particularly in the Far East. The “Daughter of Babylon” Jeremiah referred to is not ancient Babylon, but the end-time European power. The “kings … from the ends of the earth” seem to include South Africa and India, which are BRICS nations {THAILAIND IS A BRICS NATION} which have also conducted military drills with Russia and China. Some nations in South America may also be involved as they seem to be part of the “ends of the earth.” Consider that Brazil and Russia already have a variety of military agreements. When the “daughter of Babylon” is in the process of falling, many will abandon supporting it. Jeremiah 50 is part of the second woe.
The second woe, according to scripture, ends 3 ½ days after the two witnesses are killed per Revelation 11:7-14. That is quickly followed by the third woe and the blowing of the 7th trumpet (Revelation 11:14-15).
Jesus returns with this trumpet (1 Thessalonians 4:16) which is also the last trumpet when Christians rise up (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52). While that is comforting for Christians (1 Thessalonians 4:18), this angers the nations (Revelation 11:15-18).
So, the nations that gathered in Armageddon to fight the forces of the Beast, despite issues between them, will unite to fight Jesus, Himself! This is also described in Zechariah 14 and Joel 3.
The third woe releases the seven last plagues (Revelation 15:1), with victorious Christians then pictured on the sea of glass (Revelation 15:2).
During the third woe, when God sends corrective punishments, because the non-Christians refused to repent:
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory. (Revelation 16:9)
Notice something else that happens during this third woe:
12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
15 “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”
16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon. (Revelation 16:12-16)
Forces from Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean would be expected to gather related to ‘Armageddon’ as “the whole world” (Revelation 16:13-16) will be involved.
Furthermore, note that Armageddon is the gathering place, but is not shown to be where a major battle is about to take place.
This world's two great military powers — ready to fight each other for world domination — will be suddenly confronted by what they conceive to be, in their deceived minds, a common "enemy" — the returning Jesus Christ!
"And the nations were angry..." declares Revelation 11:18. Men will not want to submit to God's rule! Instead, they will seek to destroy Jesus Christ — whom they will regard, falsely, as the Antichrist — and his angelic armies from heaven who accompany him to Jerusalem.
Instead of fighting each other, the Beast and the kings of the east will join forces — to "make war with the Lamb" (Rev. 17:14).
From the staging ground or mustering area of Armageddon the world's armies will move to confront Jesus Christ himself.
Where will that climactic battle be fought? … Joel 3:1-2, 9-14. … The battle, involving "all nations," will take place in the valley of Jehoshaphat! This deep valley or ravine borders Jerusalem on the east, between the city and the Mount of Olives … Today it is more commonly known as the Kidron Valley.
As it turns out, Jehoshaphat means "Yahweh judged.” Anyway, the unrepentant nations of this world will be judged there by God for their rebellion and disobedience!
That said, why would various ones wrongly think that the returning Jesus is the final Antichrist? There are basically two reasons. The first is that the world, in general, does not know the beliefs of the original Christian church (details are in our free book, online at ccog.org, titled Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession?). Why would that matter? Well, there are numerous Greco-Roman Catholic writings that teach that the Antichrist will hold to those original beliefs.
The second is that there are Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies that teach that the Antichrist wins the battle associated with Armageddon. Notice two:
Venerable Maria of Agreda (died 1665) ... the kings will send armies to the Holy Land, but the Antichrist will slay them all.
Anne Catherine Emmerich (died 1824) ... Antichrist will fight a successful battle at Mageddo in Palestine after which seven rulers, from fear, will subject themselves to Antichrist and he will thereafter become lord of the world
Hence, many will be deceived to fight against Jesus!
Going back to Revelation 16, we see that God will also issue corrective punishment to nearly all of humanity after Babylon (the European Empire) falls:
17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. 19 Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. 20 Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great (Revelation 16:17-21).
Notice that the islands are moved and mountains are basically gone sometime after God allows a massive earthquake. Islands and coastal regions will be filled with fearful people as the seas and the waves will roar per Jesus (Luke 21:25-26), before the islands fled (Isaiah 11:11 refers to remnants of people being on islands after this event, but likely most on them will die).
Sadly, the nations will be angry and fight against Jesus when He returns to set up the glorious kingdom of God:
16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying:
“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. 18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth.” (Revelation 11:16-18)
19:19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. …
21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. …
20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. (Revelation 19:19,21, 20:4-5a)The Bible says Jesus will save the world when He establishes the Kingdom of God (2 Timothy 4:1; 1 Corinthians 15:24, 50). Otherwise, all flesh would be destroyed (Matthew 24:22).
Notice the following:
11 For as the sash clings to the waist of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to Me,’ says the Lord, ‘that they may become My people, for renown, for praise, and for glory; but they would not hear.’ (Jeremiah 13:11)
God wants all humans, everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30), but the bulk of the tribes of Israel have been unwilling to do so.
Those nations who gathered at Armageddon, will fight against Jesus and be defeated (Revelation 19:11-21).
Maromo J. SA-China-Russia military exercise … IOL, January 22, 2023; Pasricha A. India and China to Take Part in Joint Military Drills with Russia. Voice of America News, August 31, 2022Shoigu lauds Brazil as ‘important strategic partner’ for Russia in Latin America. Tass, February 16, 2022
Lesson 36 – Feast of Trumpets – Why Christ Must Come Again! 58 Lesson Ambassador College Correspondence Course, 1969 revision
Since the Asian nations are prophecied to be involved with Babylon and various wars, what about you?
Does this mean that you are doomed?
No. God does not require "group salvation." The Apostle Paul wrote:
...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling... (Philippians 2:12)
Thus, your personal relationship with God is not determined by what your fellow countrymen do.
Can, will, God help you during the coming tribulation?
Notice the prophecy for this latter time tribulation in the Hebrew scriptures:
29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice 31 (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them. (Deuteronomy 4:29-31)
Thus, help from God during these hard times will be available to the truly sincere who really strive for it.
After all these battles and punishments, the tribulation will end. And Christ will return:
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matthew 24:29-30).
And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS (Revelation 19:16).
This will usher in a kingdom that will be established for 1,000 years:
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years (Revelation 20:4-6).
And people of many nations, including those of Thailand, will be part of this kingdom. Notice:
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb (Revelation 7:9).
After the thousand years are over, there will be problems, and then all will be resurrected--there will be a second resurrection:
7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works (Revelation 20:7-13).
All, including all the Thais, will be resurrected.
It is important to note that all remaining are judged at the second resurrection, but not all are condemned for destruction. However, prior to the second resurrection, apparently a Russian-led confederation (apparently including Thais) will rebel and attempt to attack God's people (apparently in Jerusalem)--but they will not be successful (see also the article Russia: Its Origins and Prophesied Future). They will be destroyed, but will be raised in the second resurrection.
The mainstream "Christian" view correctly teaches that there is salvation in no other than Jesus (Acts 4:10-12), as "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (vs.12).
But what happens to the multitudes in Thailand and elsewhere who have not even heard the name of Christ? And those who will not respond as they possibly could (Deuteronomy 4:29-31)? And what happens to those born before Christ's earthly ministry? Recall that the Bible teaches that after Adam sinned, humankind was blocked from the tree of life as God had it guarded so that humans would not be able to access it on their own (Genesis 3:22-24).
Even the basic Protestant view is that unless one professes belief in Jesus prior to the first death, then salvation will be unavailable. It is perhaps because of the difference between this view and that of the real Church of God, that Protestants and various naysayers tend to label real Church of God as a cult. The fact that our doctrines actually come from the Bible does not seem to stop them from such labeling.
The Continuing Church of God specifically teaches that God is only calling a relatively few during this age with the Day of Pentecost (also called the Day of Firstfruits, Numbers 28:26) partially explaining this. "Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures" (James 1:18).
Jesus and the Continuing Church of God teach, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him" (John 6:44). And that will be few at this time, "For many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14), "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:14).
Protestants and Roman Catholics tend to feel, correctly, that God uses ministers to preach (Romans 10:14). Yet, the message is not always clear. In Isaiah 6:9-11 God teaches,
"Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed." Then I said, "Lord, how long?" And He answered: "Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, The houses are without a man, The land is utterly desolate".
In other words, the bulk of the people are not to understand until after a time of great desolation.
Furthermore, the Bible reveals that God has prohibited idolaters to have proper understanding:
And the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says, "Deliver me, for you are my god!" They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand (Isaiah 44:17-18).
They have no knowledge, Who carry the wood of their carved image, And pray to a god that cannot save (Isaiah 45:20).
Thus, is God going to condemn those who worship idols for what He has not let them understand?
Protestant and Roman Catholic theology tends to say yes.
Those in the Continuing Church of God say no.
Unless the idolater has committed the unpardonable sin (which is unlikely) they will be judged as other uncalled people are.
Hence, the billions throughout history in Asia and Africa (and elsewhere) are not condemned to suffer forever for following practices they really do not understand.
Those who were uncalled in this age (including most people and nearly all of the Asians, including those that have long been dead) will be offered an opportunity for salvation. This will happen after the second resurrection.
And nearly all of them will accept it. The Continuing Church of God teaches that God will ultimately give every individual an opportunity for salvation--and that nearly every individual will accept that opportunity. The vast majority of human beings ever born will ultimately be in God's family.
This means that ultimately that nearly all Asians will be in the permanent kingdom of God.
Despite having a fairly limited witness throughout history, God will offer salvation TO EACH AND EVERY PERSON WHO EVER LIVED--EITHER IN THIS AGE OR THE AGE TO COME--and that includes every Thai.
Many do not understand that God will OFFER salvation to all (see also Universal Offer of Salvation: There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis):
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. (Luke 3:6)
10 And all the ends of the earth shall see The salvation of our God. (Isaiah 52:10)
Notice some of the descriptions of God's kingdom from the Book of Revelation:
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." (Revelation 21:2-4).
All should recall that Jesus taught:
29 They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last (Luke 13:28-30).
Those from the east and south will include the Thais and other Asians. Yes, there will be some from the west, but notice that those in the west are no more prominent than those from the other regions. Many then in Asia will be among those who are first in the Kingdom of God.
We in the Continuing Church of God understand that God will offer salvation to everyone in this age or the age to come (Matthew 12:32; Mark 10:30).
Thailand is in Asia, and is now part of the BRICS alliance. Members of which are referred to in biblical prophecies. Sputnik News reported:
BRICS ... Thailand: Offers the role of “bridge builder” with regional groupings, such as ASEAN, APEC, ACD, and Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC); (January 20, 2025 https://www.sgtreport.com/2025/01/new-membership-partners-how-brics-expanded-in-2025/)
In the 21st century, Thailand's wealth and influence is prophesied to increase. The Thais, with other Asians and Russians, will most likely be among the first to benefit from the coming European Empire, as well as be among those who see that it is not what it pretends to be.
God apparently plans to allow Russia along with many in Asia to be part of a coalition of kings from the East, which definitely looks to include the eastern and northern Russians, to put an end to the King of the North's military ambitions.
Just because the whole world (and not just the Asians) will be deceived by the rising European Beast power, you do not have to be. Hopefully this article has given you some reasons to look at the world and your life and will motivate to come to God now on His terms. To learn more about what happened to Christianity, a good place to start may be The History of Early Christianity page. May God call you today and grant you the understanding so that you will "pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36).
Sadly, because most in Asia do not strive know the true God now, God will punish them as well as the other inhabitants on the Earth. And apparently many will also rebel at the close of the millennium, but will not succeed.
However, since God is a God of love, He intends to resurrect the Thais, Chinese, Russians, Indians, and all other Asians and offer them salvation. A salvation that nearly all will accept as nearly all the Asians who ever lived will be in the kingdom of God. A kingdom without fear or death or sorrow. A glorious kingdom. Deification will be available for the Thais. And that is the prophesied future for nearly all of Asians. Nearly all Asians will accept God's offer of salvation, which will be made available to them after the second resurrection.
All Thais who ever lived, including the millions who never heard the name of Jesus, will have a real opportunity for salvation.
Nearly all will accept that.
So, what is the ultimate prophecy for the Thai people?
All who, after the second resurrection, who accept God's way will be granted eternal life.
Each individual Thai will be able to give love in a unique way in order to make eternity better for themself personally as well as every one else.
That is the ultimate destiny for the Thai people in the Kingdom of God.
Thiel B. Thailand: Any Witness? Prophecies? Ultimate Destiny? (c) COGwriter https://www.cogwriter.com/thailand.htm